o sea-starved, hungry sea

... is a collaborative recording project initiated by Natalie Draper, composer of the title work, and Danielle Buonaiuto. With John Wilson on piano, the project, which was recorded at New World Symphony by Cody Engstrom in October 2016, encompasses art song by Douglas Buchanan, Cecilia Livingston, and James Young, ​as well as Draper.

Buchanan's Scots and Watersrecalls the national tragedy of the Jacobite Revolution, and charts a journey from sorrow to comfort using texts and musical inflection that evoke the Scottish Highlands and the North Sea. Young's sparse yet rhythmic Marfa Songsevoke both the arid climate of the town in question, as well as the singular atmosphere of the famous artist colony, even as they delve deep into unsettling yet relatable areas of the human psyche. In Livingston's jazz-infused songs Penelopeand Kalypso, two women on either side of the story of a mythological hero, Odysseus, explore their experience of the passing of time in the absence of their loved one. Draper's sweeping seascape, O Sea-Starved, Hungry Sea, is the centerpiece of the album. Poetry of Keats, Yeats, Tennyson, and Shakespeare describe a sea that is vast and unknowable, but at the same time, a completely apt metaphor for a variety of psychological states and extremes.

With this project, I wanted to showcase the music of four emerging composers in whom I believe strongly. A commercial recording that demonstrates composers' work on a high-quality product offers a credential, not to mention visibility within the industry, that can be crucial for composers who are pursuing large commission, tenure, or other career-launching opportunities like residencies. Once the album is released, it will be distributed for reviews and airtime, as well as be available physically and digitally. I will also embark on a live recital component, bringing this music to new communities in accessible venues, and showcasing local composers along the way.

I am fundraising to support the costs of production, distribution, and marketing of the album, as well as tour costs. This project is currently supported by the Peabody Conservatory and the New World Symphony fellowship program, and generous individual donors.

​O Sea-Starved, Hungry Sea is a sponsored project of Fractured Atlas, a non‐profit arts service organization. Contributions for the charitable purposes of O Sea-Starved, Hungry Sea must be made payable to “Fractured Atlas” and are tax‐deductible to the extent permitted by law.